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In most situations, mouth-to-mouth breaths aren't needed.

While everything else in this world seems to be getting more complicated, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) keeps on getting simpler. Remember old-fashioned CPR? You were supposed to clear the airway (scooping out the mouth if need be), give those mouth-to-mouth breaths, push on the chest, and check for a pulse every once in a while. But the American Heart Association has eliminated the airway clearing and pulse checks from its guidelines, and in 2008 the association endorsed "hands only" CPR in many cases, eliminating the mouth-to-mouth breaths.

Even if you've never taken a ...

Should cancer survivors take vitamin supplements? Aspirin may be a better bet.

About 12 million Americans are cancer survivors, and the number is almost certainly going to increase because of early detection, better treatment, and an aging population. After the first encounter with the disease and the ordeal of treatment, attention swivels to what can be done to prevent a second one. As many as a third of cancer survivors start taking vitamin and mineral supplements. But should they? The American Cancer Society recommends staying away from high-dose supplements and sticking to the standard multivitamin just to fill in ...

If artificial tears don't work, anti-inflammatory cyclosporine drops may.

We notice tears when we cry and when others do. Psychologists theorize that weeping is an "attachment behavior" designed to get others to help us — you might say that tears are a cry for help. There's an old theory that sobbing may help fend off infections, the notion being that some of the overflow drains into the nose through the tiny ducts that connects the inside corners of the eyes to the nose. In the nose, tears moisten nasal mucous membranes so they're more effective at corralling bacteria and viruses.

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But obstacles include vaccine cost, Medicare reimbursement policies, and vaccine shortages.

Shingles can be a painful rash that goes away after a few weeks — no fun, but manageable. Or it can be hellish.

"Horrible" and "excruciating" is how some people describe postherpetic neuralgia, the painful aftermath that develops after the initial rash phase in about 10% to 20% of shingles cases. Postherpetic neuralgia pain is hard to predict. It can last for months, even years. Yet it can also end abruptly (and mercifully) for no apparent reason.

Doctors have several options for treating postherpetic neuralgia. Small doses of the ...

Q. My niece has been diagnosed with body dysmorphic disorder. I've heard of it, but I'm not sure what it is exactly.

A. Concern about appearance is usually normal, and a sign of healthy self-esteem. But being overly self-conscious about looks may be a problem, and it's extremely distressing when it takes the form of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). People who have this condition are preoccupied with what they regard as physical defects. In many cases, this concern reaches delusional proportions: they see bodily flaws that aren't there and have little to no awareness that their worries are irrational. Some ...